Underbalanced Drilling Technology Traditionally the aim of the drilling fluid, or 'mud', is to transport the drilled cuttings back

to surface, to cool the drill bit, lubricate the hole, and provide sufficient hydrostatic pressure down in the hole to prevent any oil, gas or other liquids from coming out of the rock and back to surface. This 'overbalanced' drilling creates a situation where the entrained pressure down hole is safely contained. Underbalanced drilling on the other hand is essentially the opposite. The drilling fluid performs the same functions as conventional mud but does not provide a hydrostatic pressure greater than the formation. Due to this, any porous rock formation will start to produce oil or gas. In conventional drilling, if hydrocarbons are allowed to enter the well bore while drilling, the situation is termed 'a kick'. An underbalanced drilling operation however is designed to maintain this situation in a safe and controlled manner. This production of hydrocarbons is, of course, safely controlled at surface to ensure that the well does not blow-out (uncontrolled loss of pressure containment). This method of drilling, with a reduced exerted pressure down in the well, avoids the build up of small solids being deposited on the sides of the hole. It also prevents the invasion of fluid and fine rock fragments into the formation, which, together help to improve the productivity of hydrocarbons from the reservoir. It can also help in avoiding many of the problems, associated with drilling into any reservoir formations, especially depleted zones. These two categories, production improvement and avoidance of drilling problems are the main reasons we carry out these drilling operations with the well producing. Drilling Advantages: - No fluids are lost into the formations during underbalanced drilling - Drilling speed increases by 2 to 5 fold when drilling underbalanced - Drilling bit life is increased - There is less chance of the pipe getting stuck when drilling underbalanced Reservoir Advantages: - No need to clean up the well after drilling - Reduced plugging of the rocks in the reservoir leads to an increase in production of up to 5 times when compared to conventionally drilled wells - Able to find the most productive zones of the reservoir while drilling Although it is more expensive to drill using underbalanced technology, we are now able to drill more wells in older reservoirs and access areas that were previously too difficult to drill. Due to the benefits achieved through drilling underbalanced, we are able to squeeze more oil from a reservoir than previously thought possible. At LEA all of our engineers are experienced in the safe and efficient use of underbalanced drilling technology for your wells. Our engineers have drilled underbalanced with coiled tubing and with jointed pipe onshore and offshore, on fixed and on floating rigs. LEA engineers can carry out multiphase flow modelling for your wells and can compile all the relevant policies and procedures that are required to drill your wells safely underbalanced. We will also supervise your UBD service providers. Because we are independent from your UBD service providers we will ensure that you have the correct equipment and that you use the most cost effective system for drilling your underbalanced wells.

We are the first company to offer a UBD training course to Masters Level accredited by a leading UK university. Because all of our engineers are graduate drilling engineers we can design your well from top to bottom including the underbalanced section. We will also ensure that all the HS&E issues of your project are looked after using our own HS&E in-house experts.